Anidala: Across the Stars

Chapter 10: Home

"Padmé! We're home!" Anakin called as he walked through the door and into the house. Anakin took Leia out of the sling on his chest and laid her in the crib in the living room. He took Luke out of the back of the sling and laid him next to her. He flung himself onto the couch next to them, exhausted, and didn't notice Padmé watching him from the doorway of their room.
"How was your day, Ani?" She came and sat down next to him.
"I confessed to the council."
"Anakin thats... That's a big step. How did it go?"
"They allowed me to stay..."
"Anakin that's wonderful."
"On the terms that Luke and Leia be trained as Jedi and apprenticed at the age of 13."
"Anakin we knew this would happen. We knew the second the council learned of their existence, they would be watched and trainee their whole lives."
"I know, Padmé. I just wish.."
"You wish they could choose. I know. I do too." Leia started crying and Anakin hurried time quiet her before she woke up her brother. Padmé reached for her daughter, and Anakin passed her over.
"She's the perfect combination of you and My mother." Anakin brushed a curl of hair out of her face.
"She's to be apprenticed to Ahsoka, when the time is right. And Luke to Obi Wan."
"Anakin, would you really trust the training of our children to anybody else?" Anakin laughed and shook his head.
"I guess not." He looked down at his daughter and stared into her dark eyes.
"Hey Leia. Someday, you are going to become the fiercest Jedi senator to ever live."
"Jedi Senator?" Padme asked him.
"Well of course. She's got to take after her mother in some way other than her infatuating beauty."
"Oh Ani." Padmé leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Da." He heard a gurgle from Leia and looked down to see her chubby palms reaching for him.
"Da.."
"Padmé. Padmé I think she's trying to say my name."  Anakin jumped up and kneeled next to Leia.
"Da... Da." Leia gripped Anakin's pinky finger.
"Dada!" She exclaimed, then continued on with her baby gurgles.
"Thats right Leia! I'm your dad! Padmé! She said my name! She said Dada!" He looked up with tears in his eyes to see Padmé laughing a silent, hysterical laugh.
"Anakin I've never seen you so excited about anything in your life." She said. Anakin scowled, but immediately grinned again when Leia was passed to him as Padmé stood up to fetch the crying Luke.
"I knew it Leia. I knew you were a daddy's girl." He lifted her up and kissed her forehead, hoping Padmé wouldn't see. She just shook her head and smiled. After the twins were bathed, changed, and fed, Anakin and Padmé put them to sleep in their cribs in the nursery.
"Nothing in the world can compare to our children, Padmé."
"I know, Ani. I've never had something to fight harder for. Neither of us have." Padmé and Anakin fell asleep together on the couch in their living room.

Ahsoka was helping Padmé while Obi Wan and Anakin were on a mission to bring back a missing Jedi master. Padmé was currently feeding Leia, and Ahsoka was watching Luke as he crawled around the. Living room. He had been using the various chairs and tables around the house to stand up, and he was looking for something to stand up on now. He crawled to a chair across the living room from Ahsoka, and shakily pulled himself up to his feet. He had surprisingly beat Leia to the standing up phase, though she had spoken first and was speaking far more clearly than he was.
"Luke!" Ahsoka called. He bounced up and down using the legs of the chair for stability. He bounced a little too hard and accidentally let go, as he often did, but Ahsoka was prepared to catch him, as she always was. This time was different though. Instead of stumbling and falling, he stayed steady. He continued his gurgling and bouncing, barely seeming to notice, but Ahsoka excitedly called out for Padmé.
"Padmé! Padmé come quick! Luke, come here Luke!"
Ashoka held out her hands, beckoning Luke. She was also prepared to catch him. He put one foot in front of the other and started toddling toward Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka! What's going on?" Padmé rushed into the room.
"Are you ok? Is Luke ok? Is... oh!" She stopped as she saw Luke taking his first steps toward Ahsoka.The little 10 month old shakily kept walking towards Ahsoka.
"Soka!" He said as he finally reached her legs, and clutched on for stability. Ahsoka picked him up and spun him around.
"Luke! You walked!" She said. He giggled, then yawned.
"Mama." He cooed, reaching for Padmé. She handed Leia to Ahsoka, and picked up her son. Leia was much more independent than Luke. She never needed to be held, though she didn't protest it. Luke was only happy if he was being held, or if someone was watching him. Padmé took her son and lifted him into the air, then brought him back down to tickle him. He grabbed a chubby fistful of Padmés hair and she and Ahsoka laughed.
"Just wait until Anakin gets home." Ahsoka said.
"He'll start teaching Luke how to do backflips the second he finds out."

"Padmé! Ahsoka! I'm home!" The Anakin called out, collapsing through the doorway and into their home.
"Anakin..." Padmé and Ahsoka were sitting, somber looking on the couch.
"Something happened while you were gone, Ani." Anakins stomach turned over. Where were the kids? She should have been with them, it wasn't nap time or bedtime yet.
"Padmé what happened? Where are they? Are they ok?" He ran to Padmé.
"I knew I should'nt have left. I knew something would happen the second I was out the door without one of them." Padmé buried her face in her husbands shoulder, shaking violently.
"Padmé what happened?" He asked again, urgently. Ahsoka couldn't keep a straight face anymore. She started laughing.
"Turn around sky guy!" She said. Anakin stood up and spun around to see his son standing, and very shakily walking toward him.
"Dada!" He said, walking faster and steadier.
"Luke!" He cried. The second his son was within reach he swung him up and into his arms, holding him close to his chest. He glared at Ahsoka and Padmé over the top of Luke's head. They were still laughing.
"Not funny you two." He said. They only laughed harder.
"Dada!" Leia screamed. Crawling at lightning speed across the floor. Anakin transferred Luke to his hip and bent down to pull Leia off his leg. He put her on his other hip and kissed her forehead.
"I missed you two." Anakin laughed, Bouncing them lightly.
"I'm going to get you back for that, Snips." He said after placing his children back on the floor, Luke very reluctantly let go of his father.
"Not on your life, skyguy."